Ai Weiwei is Free ...

... but where is Liu Xiaobo ?

SHAME on the USA!

Bank robber planned crime and punishment bank robbery - Gaston Gazette
Being sentenced to jail was the only way this man had to have the medical treatment he needed paid for. Could there be anything more shameful for a so-called civilized country than to give its inhabitants a choice between jail, bankrupcy, and death from serious illness?

And some of you out there still think universal health care insurance is communist? It is merely humane and it is an absolute necessity!

Wake up and support Obama on all measures to provide FULL coverage for ALL people in the US whatever illness they may have, however rich or poor they may be, regardless of what some private insurance company aims to reach in profit goals!

SOLIDARITY FOR THOSE ILL IS WHERE HUMANITY BEGINS!

Great to have a niece drop in...

We had a really nice visit with Jenn, who managed to fly over from London for my first weekend back home after the last hospital stay. It's so much better to really be face to face, smile to smile with our wonderful niece and to enjoy Hard Rock, the Gay Pride Festival, and a museum visit with her here in our great hometown of Berlin! Detlef and I both are so grateful for the love our families bring to us in our great love!

Home from the Second Round

Life is so wonderful when you can weather the storm of a heavy duty consolidation chemo against AML and get back home again with counts sufficient to provide you protection against infection.
I feel well, my counts are continuing to climb, and I am grateful...
... grateful to the nurses and staff of Station 51A (and B and 52) of Charité's Virchow Klinikum for their tireless support,
... grateful to the doctors of the oncology/hematology team there, Dr. Flörcken, Dr. Kuhnitz, Dr. Kreher, Dr. Westermann, Dr. Müller, et al. for their unceasing efforts to carry me through it all,
... to all my friends and family here who visited and called, to all my friends and family in the states who face-booked me words of encouragement,
... to Claudia & Alma for hosting Koko while I'm at home, so I can see him even if I can't be around him,
... to my dear sister, Terri, who stands ready to provide me with the stem cells that are a genetic match and which I need for the marrow transplant next month,
... to Detlef for always being there for me with his limitless love.

And, yes, I am even grateful to myself for mustering the strength that is rewarded by my home right here so full of love!

Pale, Paler, Palin - Poetically Speaking

Sarah Palin's Midnight Ride, by Ben Greenman, from The New Yorker online.

Une Présidente pour la France !

A woman must become President of France, says Sollers in this lyrical TV discussion of the Strauss-Kahn affair as that would be the only way finally to end the Monarchy (whether of a republic or of a kingdom) which gives rise to such impossible behavior as DSK has demonstrated.

Sollers très Lyrique sur Strauss Kahn [Fun] CSOJ... by peanutsie

Palin Makes Me Pale !

Should I be surprised to find out that the Paling paleface of party teabags is THIS stupid? Probably not. And later, she even insisted that the nonsense she spouted about Paul Revere was correct! Nothing I abhor more than self-satisfied ignorance, proud of itself and labeling intelligence arrogant. Even though her "followers" have tried to change the Wikipedia entry on Revere to make her FALSE version sound right, the foreign language versions will remain unaltered, as they are also too dum even to try to read, much less change, them! And print encyclopedias and history books will continue to have the correct version, whatever that Paling paleface burps out!

Here, the text of her hopelessly long explanation of the ride of Paul Revere:

He who warned, uh, the … the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringin’ those bells and, um, by makin’ sure that as he’s ridin’ his horse through town to send those warnin’ shots and bells that, uh, we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free … and we were gonna be armed.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (an essential poet of American literature, by way of explanation for paling paleface fans) got it right in his poem "The Ride of Paul Revere":

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Take my counts up, up, and away in that beautiful balloon!

I'm climbing into that balloon and want to have my counts ascend rapidly for a quick return home to maximize the amount of time I have there before coming into the Marrow Transplant Unit!

Let's go now, soaring white cells, ascending platelets, rising red cells!

May my marrow provide the necessary propulsion for me to go up, up, and away from the hospital and back home for a while!

With the love of Detlef and the support of so many friends and family members, it must be possible to get this balloon off the ground!

A Fabulous Birthday!

Despite being in the hospital, my birthday was wonderful. Best wishes came from so many on fb, from visitors here, including a cake from my brother- and sister-in-law, from all the nurses and doctors on the ward, as well as those on the other that we pass on the way during our walking rounds. It was good, and I KNOW I'm on the right path to a permanent cure from this AML!
A special thanks and all my love to my loving, caring, wonderful husband Detlef!

Down In The Valley

And out of the valley I'll come out full of love and life for the ages!

SHAME ON MINNESOTA !

There is really nothing else to say. It is so absurd, painful, arrogant, and inhumane that some people so HATE others LOVING each other and making a commitment to that LOVE !
Why do so many Republicans hate so much and fear the freedom of their fellow citizens so intensely?

West Central Tribune

Legislature sends anti-gay marriage amendment to 2012 election
ST. PAUL -- An 18-month campaign about gay marriage began moments after the Minnesota House approved a constitutional amendment on the issue late Saturday. [...]
The House debate, the most emotional in years, climaxed with Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove, explaining why he was one of four Republicans to vote against the amendment.
Kriesel recalled losing both legs to an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
“I nearly died...” Kriesel said to a silent House. “I thought I was dead. I remember thinking about my life and kids. ... It changed me.”
If he can be with who he loves, the freshman lawmaker said, others also should have that ability.
His wife sitting nearby, Kriesel added that he joined the Army at 17 because “I love the country.”
“This amendment doesn’t represent what I went to fight for,” he said, with demonstrators’ chants drifting in from outside the House chamber. “Hear that out there? That is what I went to fight for and I am glad about that.”
After ending on the losing side, Kriesel went out through the giant House doors to the loudest cheer of the day from gay rights supporters.
He walked past them en route back to his office, with dozens of people shaking his hand or offering a hug.
When he left, the crowd of a couple hundred resumed singing “We Shall Overcome” and chanting “We Will Prevail.”

THERE IS ANOTHER POSSIBILITY:

For First Time, Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage
Republicans and older Americans remain opposed
by Frank Newport
PRINCETON, NJ -- For the first time in Gallup's tracking of the issue, a majority of Americans (53%) believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. The increase since last year came exclusively among political independents and Democrats. Republicans' views did not change.

Back for More

Back in Virchow today, my consolidation chemo starts tomorrow. Within four weeks altogether, I should be out again, once more for three weeks, perhaps even four, and then comes the stay for the marrow transplant.
It is amazing, again this time, how much they have already accomplished since I came in a little after 11am: echocardiogram (OK), lung function test (OK), laying of my new central-vein catheter for infusions and drawing blood, x-ray to check proper placement of the vein catheter, talk with the doctor about the consolidation chem course (5 days, high-dose Ara-C in 3g ampules morning and evening on days 1, 3, & 5). Tomorrow morning they'll give me the protocol and start, and I also begin all the extra things to help me withstand any side effects.
I'm ready, and we're going to do this right!
It is good to know my lovey, Detlef, can bring Koko home this evening. At least that way, he has one of our "family" members there, even if it's unclear who babbles more, our parrot or I. And I will have a chance to see the pretty birdy on skype at least. He will be good company for Detlef, who once more, I think, is more nervous about everything than I am. But it is our LOVE that will carry us through all of this so that we can have decades and decades together afterwards!

A Weekend to Enjoy

Before the bulldozer of treatment plows back into our lives beginning Monday, we are just going to enjoy every second of this wonderful weekend together! It was ushered in, so to say, by a fine visit from my sister and bone marrow donor, who flew back out yesterday. How great to spend time together while I'm out of the hospital and feeling good!
The same applies to this weekend with my cherished husband Detlef. Hard Rock is on the agenda, maybe with a couple of friends joining us there if they get their act together, while another two are coming with breakfast tomorrow morning.
Otherwise, we want to be just with ourselves, loving and calm, strong and determined, with the greatest of will for me to move another step towards ultimate victory over this AML.

VE Day / Liberation of Europe, May 8, 1945

With the capitulation of the German Reich to the Soviet Army in Karlshorst in Berlin, Victory in Europe over the Axis was finally secured on May 8, 1945, 66 years ago today.

Yes, He Gets the Credit !

Credit accrues where credit is due!

The Colbert Report

Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Obama Takes Credit for Bin Laden's Assassination
Barack Obama is so desperate for a bump in the polls that he takes the easy road of killing the world's most wanted man. (04:44)

PEACE

Please, let there be peace!

Please, think about it!

Fifteenth Anniversary

Fifteen years ago today, Detlef and I began our ongoing love story, never once faltering, even now stronger in the face of a battle for my health, and determined and convinced that our unwavering love-life will continue for at least twice as long as it already has!
And he has a poem from me for the occasion:

An Detlef

Zu dir bin ich endlos hingezogen
– O maßloses Glück von dir –
und strahle in dem Liebesbogen,
lächle, flamme auf zu dir.

Ein Wunder täglich frisch gemacht
just hier im schlichten Leben haben wir,
und Augen haben sonst nie soviel gelacht
wie einander zugewandt die unsren vier.

Meine Hand in deine habe ich fest gelegt,
mein Herz geschenkt dir voll von mir.
Deine Hand zu Lebensbrunst mich erregt,
da Liebe ist die Heimat dir und mir.

O Liebster! Wir haben kaum begonnen!
In uns glüh’n noch abermillionen Sonnen.

--Rick, 2. Mai 2011
Zu unserem 15ten Jahrestag

Osama Bin Laden Dead | The White House

Osama Bin Laden Dead - The White House

Osama Bin Laden Dead
Posted by Macon Phillips on May 02, 2011 at 12:16 AM EDT
Tonight, President Obama addressed the Nation to announce that the United States has killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda. Watch or read his full remarks below, and learn more from the transcript of the White House briefing call afterwards.
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON OSAMA BIN LADEN
East Room, 11:35 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.
We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.
Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.
Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.
And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.
Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.
Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.
For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.
Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.
As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.
Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.
Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.
The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.
So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.
Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.
We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.
Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.
And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.
The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Close Guantánamo!

Yet another post to call for an end to this questionable detainment center, years after Obama's election and promise to close the incarceration center at Guantánamo, where people are held under suspicion, without trial or tribunal, and with scanty or no evidence, only the claim (by whom? how determined?) that they are "dangerous" to the U.S. and its allies.

CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO NOW!

The WikiLeaks disclosures, though feeding both the pros and cons, offer NO information whatsoever that could justify continuation of this facility and detention of those "suspects" against whom the suspicion is not even substantial enough to bring charges against them in either criminal or military courts or tribunals!

CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO NOW!

Here only one of the many articles in the press since yesterday, this one from The Washington Post:

Guantanamo documents revive debate

Anne E. Kornblut, Monday, April 25, 9:40 PM

A trove of newly released documents about detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has revived familiar questions: Were too many innocent men incarcerated there over the past decade?

Or did U.S. officials ultimately free too many dangerous detainees?

Advocates on both sides of the debate have new evidence to cite in the documents, obtained by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, which say how the current and former detainees were classified by U.S. investigators.

Some initially considered dangerous were freed after spendIng years in the facility; others, released because they appeared harmless, later returned to battlefields in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and elsewhere.

The documents — whose overall thrust is consistent with years of reporting on Guantanamo but offer new details — did not shake partisans from long-held positions.

“These documents are remarkable because they show just how questionable the government’s basis has been for detaining hundreds of people, in some cases indefinitely, at Guantanamo,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “The one-sided assessments are rife with uncorroborated evidence, information obtained through torture, speculation, errors and allegations that have been proven false.”

CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO NOW!

Easter Sunday on the Way to Recovery

What a gift this weather is, in addition to the absolute joy of having these few weeks out between chemo treatments, transplant, etc., to be able to walk around the most beautiful parts of our wonderful city of Berlin! Detlef & I together, just relishing every second we have, basking in love and life, determined to go on and on and on and on and on and on and .....